Spanish state prosecutors have requested a jail term of four years and nine months for Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti for alleged tax fraud. The prosecutor accused Ancelotti of two counts of tax fraud from 2014 to 2015 related to his earnings for image rights totaling over €1 million. Ancelotti is said to have omitted income from the exploitation of his image rights in his tax filings, which he had transferred to other entities.
The Spanish Treasury calculated the loss incurred at €1,062,079, with €386,361 in the fiscal year 2014 and €675,718 in the fiscal year 2015. Ancelotti joined Real Madrid in 2013 and was dismissed in 2015 before returning in June 2021. He recently signed a contract with the club until June 2026.
Over the past decade, several players and coaches have been investigated by Spanish tax authorities for tax-related issues, often involving income from image rights. In 2016, Lionel Messi was convicted of tax fraud and fined to avoid a prison sentence. Cristiano Ronaldo pleaded guilty to fraud in 2019 and paid a €19m fine. Xabi Alonso was acquitted of fraud in 2019, with the court ruling that he had not hidden income by transferring his image rights to an overseas company.
